Absolute Void
by Arcane1ManaX
Summary: Noel is a newly born Absol who was hatched by a teen named Ori. Ori is, like all children in Hoenn, striving to be the best trainer in the league. She faces many challenges, personal and battles alike. She may play a role bigger than she ever dreamed.
1. Prolouge

"..."

"_Where am I?_"

I think back, trying to recall what is not there, reaching out physically to find some reassurance of my own existence. Finding my reach blocked, I begin to feel my environment, finding all I feel to be a continuous wall. I find a weak point and begin attacking it with great vigor, desperate for escape from the only place I know is safe. As my prison begins to break away, I hear a voice, amongst the rush of blinding light.

"Please, Arceus, let this one make it."

The voice sounded female, and young at that. Her voice resounded with fear and anxiety. As my vision began to clear, I saw a woman, around average height, with bright green eyes. Her hair was long and brown with a tint of blue on her left bang, which hung over her eye down to her cheek.

She slowly lifts me up in a covering so soft; I wish it was a bit rougher. She looks into my red eyes and begins talking to me in baby talk. As disrespectful as I found it, I endured it.

"I think I'll call you Noel..."

She grabs a bottle containing a sweet liquid. As I nurse, an older woman enters the room, seeming rather distracted. She looks at me, and then speaks to the young woman,

"Be sure to keep her away from the others in town, Ori. You know how they feel about Absol in this area."

"Don't worry, Mama, I'll keep her safe," replied Ori,"no one will separate us."

I stretched as I let out an impressive yawn, drifting into my first night of sleep. I dreamt of days to come. I dreamt of fires and floods, landslides and fissure, countless deaths and lucky survivors. The disasters of the future, some near, others so distant, they have yet to be asserted into existence. I writhed in my sleep for the lives yet to be lost in the disasters yet to come.

-(Authors note)-

I hope you enjoyed this odd writing style, but don't expect more of it. Chapter two is out, so read that as-well. Read and review. It gets really depressing to see all of these hits and no reviews. So please, for the sake of being supportive in the site, review what you read.


	2. The Journey into the Future

Ori and I had trained the last two weeks after I hatched; the first had been spent teaching me how to walk and such. My dreams of disasters have grown more fleeting and uneventful, more often than not, I don't dream. Ori seemed to have the most difficulty leaving the town out of the two of us. I couldn't care less; the faster we left, the quicker the malicious stare went away. Why does everyone treat me this way? Do they treat all Absol this way?

I intend to find out when we and _if_ we meet another Absol.

"I'm hungry!" I cried, met with a quick glance from Ori.

"Oh! Look! A Bagon! Good job Noel!" She said, obviously not hearing my stomach.

The Bagon heard her and gave her a quizzical look. He looked at me and put two and two together, realizing she's a trainer, he decided to stand his ground.

"If you wish to enslave me, you must first prove you are worthy of commanding me." To Ori, all she heard was "Bagon, bagabagon on." Though she couldn't understand, she knew when a Pokémon was willing to fight, and this Bagon was eager for a scuffle.

"Alright, Noel, remember our training. Go get him!" Ori said, with rising confidence in her voice.

I leapt in front of her and faced the Bagon, ready for his attack. As I expected, he charged with a Headbutt, which I easily avoided. I jumped back and let loose the Razor Wind I had been charging, which he narrowly avoided. The stalactite behind him wasn't as lucky. As it began to collapse, the Bagon stopped to watch it as it fell into the river.

"You really should learn how to aim. Wi-" Was all he got out before we were at it again.

"Learn to keep your mind on the battle, or you'll lose your head." I growled, as Ori commanded a Bite.

My attack went through and hit its mark, though it appeared to do minimal damage. I jumped back just as he used a wicked Dragon Claw, which connected with my left paw. It stung when I landed back on it, making me wince. I Taunted him on how he could barely land a hit on me, and laughed.

"I bet thats the only two moves you know! Yet you can't even hit me, how sad." I gave him a sideways glance, acting disinterested.

Two things. One, my Taunt worked, and two, Pokémon can get concussions.

The bagon charged at me as soon as I started looking away, and gave me one hell of a Headbutt. I staggered a few steps back and leered at him.

"What? You said it yourself, 'Keep your mind on the battle,' right?" he said in a somewhat joking manner.

"Quick Attack!" Shouted Ori, seeming a bit worried.

As I lunged at him, he did a quick little twirl and avoided the brunt of my attack. One of the good things about being four-legged, is you can pivot off your front legs and use the momentum to slam into your foe. My impromtu attack knocked the Bagon on his side, at which Ori threw a pokéball. The ball flew at the Bagon and released a red beam on impact, sucking the little guy inside. After three solid shakes, it beeped, signaling the end of the battle.

Remember that comment about a concussion? It took a few seconds for it to hit me, and man, did it hit me. Everything started spinning and I felt sick to my stomach. Ori walked over to me and held me down as she administered the potion. That stuff stings worse than a Seviper bite, but then again, I hate potions, so I might be over exagerating, just a little bit.

"My first wild Pokémon…" She stammered as she walked over to the ball.

A smirk crossed her face, right before she began laughing like a maniac. Her voice traveled through the cave, and bounced back with almost as much force as when it left. She looked down at the ball and let the wingless dragon out. He took a quick look around and noticed me staring. He met my stare with a Glare, which threw me off a bit. He nodded at me with a hint of a smile on his face.

"You did well for a hatchling, young Noel." He spoke with an air of importance, as if he could have won the match with a single move. Looking back, he could have, and I was foolish to doubt him.

"This, coming from a baby dragon with no wings." I sneered.

"How rude, just because I chose to travel with you, you think it gives you the right to criticize me on my appearance! You're no golden apple, yourself, Miss Noel." He said with annoyance behind his voice.

"Now, now, you two. Get along, cause we'll be traveling together for a while now, and I don't want our battle game thrown off because of a disagreement." Ori added in before either of us could say anything else to further the argument. I gotta hand it to that girl; she knows how to make a point.

"We'll settle this during our training." I said before we began walking towards the exit leading to Rustboru.

"Name the time, and we shall." His looked told me what he was thinking.

"You guys know what just occurred to me; I didn't give you a name. I have to give you a name to induct you into the group… Hmm…" Ori lost herself in thought as we walked towards the exit.

-(Authors Note)-

My second chapter, a fair bit longer, but not where I want it to be.


	3. Into the ocean

**-Into the Ocean-**

As we exited the falls, light flooded over us. Ori was still thinking of a name for the Bagon, her brow furrowed in concentration. She seemed to be having trouble deciding on a name, shaking her head every now and then.

"So, what were you doing below the falls? The Bagon stomping grounds are in the back of the falls, not on the path." I inquiered.

"I was on a journey of self discovery,"He continued," and I was searching for someone."

"But how did you end up below the falls? Wait, nevermind, you were trying to fly, weren't you?" I was hoping there was more to how he got down below the falls, but I really didn't want to hear it.

"I swam. It feels just like flying."

"And you would know h-"

"BARLOS!" Ori shouted with enough 'umph' to wake a Snorlax from a coma."That's your nickname from here out. So, what do you think? Eh, Barlos?"

He nodded. I Observed our surroundings, taking in the scenery. The sky seemed to melt into the ocean, creating an everlasting horizon. The sun reflected off the water, making it shine like the sea were lit up by thousands of Chinchou. It was the most beautiful sight I've ever seen.

Behind us were trees and bushes, just above a low lying ledge.

"HEEEEEY! KIIID!" a voice farther down the path called.

As the figure came closer, I noticed he was wearing a strange outfi. It was a white top with matching pants, and a black belt tied along the top.

"I noticed you had some tough looking Pokemon. So how about it girly?" He asked, not introducing himself.

"After you introduce yourself, Mr. Weeaboo." How did she know his name? He hadn't said anything.

"Oh, right. The name's Darius." He said as he reached for the only Pokeball on his belt.

"Mine's Ori, and I've just reccently started on my league challenge."

She glanced at Barlos and looked back at Darrius Weeaboo.

"You okay with losing? 'Cause this is going to be over in the blink of an eye."

"Tough luck, kid. I don't plan on losing any time soon. I'm on a winning streak, see? When I beat you, you'll be my 82nd win."

A week back, Ori got challenged by a collector. We thrashed them. He had claimed his team was supurior and boasted all kinds of tales about each of his Pokemon. After the battle, I felt like Ori got some kind of sick pleasure from beating people like him. Now I think she was just a war monger. She loves battling, but at this time of the year, trainers on the road are far and few.

Ori let a manic grin cross her face,"Barlos, show him what your made of."

"Aw, I wanted to beat him." I sighed, I really get bored easily.

"Well get in line." He exuded an air of pride as he walked in front of Ori.

"Nice Bagon." He grunted as he threw his Pokeball in the air.

A red beam hit the ground and began amassing into a blob which slowly began to take shape.  
>The Pokemon that came out looked like an onion with eyes, and a personality to boot.<p>

"Hey bitches, which of you wants a peice of the Todd first?" He said as he flexed his blue noodly arms.

"Oh cool, a psychotic onion." I said, still bored.

"I'm sure he's just retarded." Barlos added in.

"Meditite! Use Brick Break!" Darrius Weeaboo ordered 'The Todd.'

"Barlos, use Headbutt!" Ori yelled, still grinning, an evil spark in her eye. I'm pretty sure she's planning on breaking his pride and spirit as a human in this battle.

Barlos hit the Meditites' hand that was pulled back for the Brick Break, nuetralizing most of the power behind it. The Headbutt, however, was at full strength. The Meditites' hand was forced back into its' face, transfering the hit directly to his cheek bone. Honestly, it's difficult to tell if this thing is a guy or a girl.

"AAAHH!" Meditie screamed as its' eye watered.

"Heh, not one for taking hits, I see." Barlos said, clearly enjoying his victims pain.

"MEDITITE! USE DETECT!" Darrius Weeaboo exclaimed.

"Use Focus Energy." Ori may be knew to being a trainer, but that doesn't mean she's clueless.

The Todd had a very worried look on his now.

"Use detect again!" Darrius said.

"Headbutt Barlos." Ori, still grinning, said with a paticular level of coolness that would chill a Snorunt.

Logic says at this point, Detect should fail after two succesive uses. This continued for a long while. About five times. Ori was getting an annoyed look on her face,"Barlos, return!"

_My turn, _I thought as the red beam hit Barlos.

"You're up Noel." Ori said, nodding her head forward.

"Ready to see the stars, little onion?" I jeered at the shaking Meditite.

He wimpered, as his trainer said "Force palm!"

"Razor Wind."

The Todd rushed in and forcfully shoved his palm into my side. I quickly whipped the wind around me into a whirlwind, and then brought my horn back around to send blades of air flying at my opponent. His trainer acted too slowly to use Detect again, and the wind blades hit their mark.

The Todd hit the ground hard, out cold.  
><em>That was fun<em>.

Ori an Mr. Weeaboo exchanged after battle pleasantries, Pokenav numbers, hitting the guy in the face, prize money... The usual program.

And then we hightailed it down the road.  
>I seriously think Ori has a bit of a problem.<br>But, it's fun.

After we got far enough away from the crime sce- I mean entrance the the cave, we set up camp. I quickly dozed off and dreampt I was flying above the sea, just barely skimming the waters edge, before sinking to the depths below. I saw a large silouete with red markings on it. It let out a load, peircing cry. Making me wake.

The fire that Ori had made had died down to cinders and she was leaned up against a tree. Barlos was out of his ball, staring at the cinders. He seemed lost in thought, so I let him be, and went back to sleep.

-Note-

Took me forever to get this from paper to computer, but here it is, chapter three. I'm trying to make the characters a bit more fluid, rather than static, so that all round they ar more interesting. Hope you've enjoyed my little series so far.

-End Note-


	4. PokeCenter Prowl

Absolute Void Chapter 4

Once we reached Rustboro, Ori dropped us off at the Pokécenter and headed off to the Pokémart. The nurse at the center looked remarkably like the one in Fallarbor, almost like a clone, the similarities were so uncanny. The way she talked, her smell, her look, all was nearly identical to the Fallarbor nurse. True to the mold, she too was knowledgeable on how to care for injured Pokémon and inherently kind. Barlos seemed like he had been paralyzed from the moment Ori dropped us off. Whenever Nurse Joy walked by, he seemed to be standing taller and straighter. I laughed to myself and decided to take a quick nap.

When I awoke, Ori was talking to a T.V. screen, and the T.V. was talking back to her. After a moment of listening in on her conversation, I recognized the owner of the voice.

"Did you run into any… trouble… on your way to Rustboro?" She asked, a slightly accusing tone in her voice. "Eh… Nope. Just a rather unusual Bagon and Noels perky attitude to deal with." Perky? Humph. "Then might you be able to explain why the police contacted me, saying that you, yes Ori, YOU, had assaulted a young man and took his money?" She sure doesn't miss a trick, that one. Of course, telling someone your name and then assaulting them is a rather broken plan.

I left them to themselves and showed myself around the hospital. After wandering down a few corridors and a set of stairs, I came upon a Ralts looking out the window on the second floor in a room at the end of the corridor. Her horns were a prominent feature on her head, like a large hat on a small child. I walked up to her, waiting for her to notice me. After about 15 seconds, I spoke up, "Hey." I said in a flat tone.

She seemed rather shocked and gave an audible, "Eep!" and an exaggerated jump. "O-oh… Um… Hello…" She seemed a bit on the shy side, even for a Ralts.

"So, might I ask what you were looking at? You seemed like you were really into it, whatever it was." I was making small talk, hoping she would start talking a bit, since she seemed shy.

"I-I-I was w-w-watching the human children play outside…" She was stuttering pretty badly, which clued me in that she might be afraid of me.

"Mind telling why you're so jumpy?" I sat down and stretched, preparing for a long-winded response.

"I-I… I-it's just that… Er… I-I can't feel your presence… Um… Are you a demon?" I fell sideways.

"HAAAAAAAHAAAHAHAHAHAH! Oh geez, you look so serious!" I was really finding it difficult to get the words out without chuckling, "I'm no more of a demon than a Houndoom is the grim reaper. As for you not being able to feel my presence, I don't have an answer for that one. Maybe I don't have a sooouuul~!" I laughed at my own joke. She didn't seem quite as amused. "Noel! Where'd you run off to?" I heard Ori shout, just around the corner. "I guess we'll talk some other time. See ya." I told the Ralts as I headed towards the hallway and Ori. "My name is Guinevere. If we meet again, you can just call me Gwen." She said, not a tremor in her voice. I smiled at her, which didn't look all that good, seeing as Absol weren't meant to smile a big smile. Maybe a grin, but a smile just looks goofy. She laughed and waved me off as I walked out of her room.

"There you are, you big fur ball. We need to train for the gym match tomorrow." Ori looked around me and asked, "Where'd Barlos get off to?" I had assumed that Ori had put him in his Pokéball before I had woken up. If that's not where he was, then I could only imagine he was following the nurse around. "Follow me; I think I know where he's at, or rather, whom he is with." I said to Ori, even though I might as well have been talking to a rock.

Ori followed me, probably because she caught the gist of what I had said to her, even if it didn't sound like anything to her. After a few laps around the hospitals halls, I caught a whiff of Barlos. After we caught up with him, we spotted him hiding behind a potted plant watching the nurse speak with a trainer.

"Aw, ain't dat cute." I said in a cooing tone.

"Barlos, let's get going, we have to train for tomorrow's match." Ori said, rather impatiently.

"Farewell, kind beauty… I hope we may meet again soon." Barlos sighed as he turned away from Nurse Joy.

"Barlos, she's a human. You into humaphilia or something?" I joked.

"One does not have to feel physically attracted to something to appreciate its beauty, monochrome." Barlos bitterly replied. _Ew._

Ori led us to the courtyard behind the hospital designated for battles. "Alright guys, now we wait." She sat down on a bench that overlooked the battle field. After about twenty minutes, a trainer walked by Ori. He glanced at Ori and asked, "You waiting for someone?" Ori said simply, "No. But I would like a quick battle with you." Ori stood up and reached for Barlos's ball. "Sure, but let me go get my Pokémon, she should be okay to battle now." He said. "You don't have a Pokemon on you?" Ori said in a monotone. "I do, but I want my team completely together before we take part in any battles." He said as he turned away towards the hospital. "Don't keep me waiting long." Ori sat back down on the bench, bored. "I wish you could talk, I'm sure you have plenty of interesting things to say." Ori said to me.

I decided to take another nap, I didn't have much else to do at the time. After all, he couldn't keeps us waiting all that long, could he?

-(Note)-

I've noticed that some people aren't aware of the review button. For the sake of knowledge, I'd like to point out the review button, just below this text at the bottom of the scroll bar. (I'm not sure for you mobile users.)

ANYWAYS, I hope you continue to read on. This chapter was a bit rushed, and I decided to re-read it to find any errors in it. Before anyone asks, yes, I'm also reading over the other chapters, which I'm sure are filled with inconsistencies. I'm doing my best to fix them, but it is rather difficult to find all of them without some help *cough*. I'm also looking for a Beta Reader for some of my stories. So if you are a beta, and have read this story, if you are interested in helping a poor guy out, please PM me.

/end rant

THE REVIEW BUTTON IS DEAD CENTER OF THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE.


	5. New Friends

Absolute Void Chapter 5

As I woke up from my short cat nap, I saw Barlos getting thrown high into the air. _I'd give the landing a three, _I thought to myself, as Barlos landed with a resounding thud. Chuckling at my own wit, I sat up, stretching the sleepers out of me. "So what did I miss, aside from the obvious?" I asked Barlos, yawning into my paw. Man, I feel sleepy.

"Ori bet this kid that if she wins, he has to travel with us, and if he wins, she'll go with him." He said.

"Oh, really? I don't see the difference in those statements... So does that mean we got a new companion, either way?" I was hoping for someone a bit cooler, like a slightly mental school girl... No, wait... That's Ori's position. "Still. We need to win this. If we don't..." He said as he stood up before getting lifted into the air again by an unknown force. An audible thunk was heard when he hit the ground this time, but thanks to his already cement thick skull, it didn't hurt him much.

His opponent was the Ralts I had met earlier in the Pokécenter hospital wing. From how she acted earlier, I had thought she was pretty weak. But I guess that was just physical speculation. She seemed smart enough. Now if only I could remember her name... _Ooh, think, what was it? It was just half an hour ago, it shouldn't be this hard to remember, _I bit my lip, trying to pressure myself into remembering. "Shit... Barlos, return. Noel, get out there." Ori said, snapping me out of my trance.

I walked over to the part of the field designated as out side and waited for them to start, and the Ralts did likewise.

"I forfeit." The boy said.

"Why? Don't you have any other Pokémon besides that Ralts?" Ori said, motioning me off the field.

"Yes, but they couldn't handle that Absol, and I already know Gwen's Confusion would do her no good against it, either." He spoke like he had rehearsed that line in his head for weeks in preparation for a play. I have a feeling I'm not going to like this kid.

"Still, isn't it better to fight until the end?" Ori asked, sitting back down on the bench she had waited on previous to the battle.

"It's best to know how to fight a war before you send in a single soldier." He said, pulling a prism like object out of his bag and tossing it to Ori, "Use that on your Bagon, it'll make him feel better."

Ori called out Barlos and used it on him. The vacant look in his eyes went right away. He still seemed a bit weak, but at least he could be treated easier now than if he were too faint to stand.

"Thanks. Have you gotten your first badge yet?" She badgered him.

"No, not yet. We had tried earlier this week, but a rock that was thrown by one of the gym Pokémon hit Gwen on the head and gave her a rather serious concussion, so Roxanne called off the match and said that she'd wait for me to challenge her when Gwen healed." He said, lifting his overburdened bag onto his shoulder, "Let's go get our teams fixed up before we head anywhere."

"Yeah, Barlos looks like he could use some time with his favourite nurse." She winked at Barlos, making him blush. "I don't think I caught your name." She said to him.

"My name's Geoffrey Almone. I'm from Oldale, about three days that way." He pointed East, and continued, "There isn't much that little town has little to offer other than seclusion from the big city."

"I'm Ori, in case I forgot to mention it earlier. I'm from Fallarbor, up North." She said, as we entered the Pokécenter. "I spent weeks taking care of Pokémon eggs, when Noel finally hatched. We've been together ever since. How long have you been with your Ralts?"

"Roughly a week and a half." he said.

After we finished up with the demon machine, Ori and Geoffrey went to a nearby hotel to check in to rooms. The room we got was suited for one person, and not much else, so I got to spend some time in my Pokéball. It feels unnatural inside the ball. Your body is turned into pure energy and sucked into a void where time doesn't exist. It always feels like an instant between being recalled and called out.

But, after some time (or so the sun leads me to believe), Ori called me out to sleep next to her. I don't know why she wanted me to sleep with her, she's perfectly capable of sleep all on her lonesome.

"I love you, Noel. You're my sister, never forget that." She said, almost asleep, her grip on my fur slacking a little.

"Goodnight, sis." I said to a sleeping Ori.


	6. A Rockin' Battle

As we made our way through Rustboro, I noticed an increasing amount of thick dust in the air. The dust whipped through the air, creating mirages and telling stories to any who'd stop to listen. It smelled faintly of sulfur, and felt heavy in the air. Ori lead our small group to a large building with sliding glass doors, where the dust was thickest.

Once inside, we were greeted by a female attendant, whom was dressed in a school uniform.

"Welcome the Rustboro Pokémon League Gym. How may I assist you today?" she asked, her face bearing an exaggerated smile.

"We're here to challenge Roxanne to an official League battle. Could you let her know?" Ori asked, observing the lofty lobby. Her eyes fixed on a small tropical plant that radiated a vibrant blue.

"And I'm here to resume my previous challenge," Geoffrey chimed in.

"Certainly, I'll let her know more challengers are here." She winked at Geoffrey as she briskly walked through the door to the left of the desk.

"So, any tips for someone new to the Gym?" I asked Gwen, whom had been playing with her hair, keeping her eyes just out of sight.

"J-just... Don't stop m-moving." stuttered a still very shy Gwen.

"Why, are Roxanne's Pokémon fast?" I inquired, determined to break down her social barriers.

"No-o... Their a-attacks are r-really slow, but their in-incredibly strong d-defenses are d-di-difficult to get around," she said, brushing her hair out of her eyes, "and st-standing still t-t-too long isn't a goo-ood idea, anyways."

I sighed, "Did you always stutter like this?"

"No, I-I started st-stuttering after I got hit o-on the head by a ro-rock at this gym." she said with a downcast face.

"Gnarly." I added, "I didn't mean anything by it, I was just wondering if it was just me who you acted like this around." I laughed, "I thought I had done something to scare you." I added jokingly

"I'm not scared of anything." she pouted, the started giggling.

Loud noises could be heard from the next room over. I kept hearing loud abrupt sounds that reminded me of the time a Skarmory flew into the side of Ori's house. They continued for a good twelve minutes.

After a minute or two after the sounds stopped, the attendant came back out, along with a large cloud of dust. Holding the door for support, she looked exhausted.

"I'm sorry for making you wait for so long!" she said, "Roxanne just finished her lesson for the class today, She really gets into the spirit, especially on the subject of rock composition. And don't even get me started on her art classes!" she said as she peeled a dry piece of clay off of her blouse.

"So, is she ready to battle?" Ori asked, standing up slowly and stretching.

"Yes, she's waiting in the arena. Right through those double doors to your left." the receptionist said as she walked back to her desk, fidgeting with her clay encrusted fingernails.

Two things I noticed as I walked through door into the arena; One, the arena was filled with rocks and dirt, and two, Ori's hands were shaking. _She must be nervous, _I thought, _being in a new place alone is enough to make someone jittery, and add on the pressure of the League, I couldn't imagine anyone __**not **__being nervous at this point._

"Roxanne! I formally challenge you to a Pokémon League Gym Battle!" Ori shouted, dispelling her jitters.

" 'Kay. Stand in the designated area and lets get this started." Roxanne said with the demeanor of a lazy Miltank.

Ori walked over the designated side of the field and called out Barlos. Roxanne sent out a pathetic looking Geodude. Geoffrey and Gwen had found their way to the bleachers and, apparently, a concession stand. A referee took his place on the sidelines and announced the rules; A two on two match with no swap outs, swapping out counts as a K.O., if a Pokémon is pushed out of bounds, it counts as a K.O., and each battle has a seven minute time limit. He swung a green flag down to signal the start of the match.

Ori ordered Barlos to start off with an Ember attack, while Roxanne ordered her Geodude to use Defense Curl. Barlos ran right up to the Geodude and jumped while sending hot Embers into the face of the Geodude, who tried to swat ineffectively at the speedy little dragon. Barlos used another ember as the Geodude started throwing boulders of varying sizes at him in an attempt to bury him. A boulder flew through the air at a ludicrous speed, hitting Barlos's rock-hard head. The boulder split in two as Barlos countered the boulders impact with a stunning Headbutt, leaving almost no traces of damage.

Ori told Barlos to use Headbutt to finish off the tired looking Geodude. As Barlos came near the exhausted Geodude, Roxanne ordered it to use Rock Throw to counter Barlos's Headbutt. The Geodude sprang to life and grabbed Barlos by the head and threw him across the arena, followed by a barrage of stones. Barlos broke the fall by rolling, but just a little too late.

The Geodude had thrown Barlos out of bounds!

"Bagon is disqualified!" shouted the ref.

"Stupid out of bounds rule..." Ori grumbled as she called Barlos back into his Pokéball. "You're up, Noel."

I leaped onto the field as gracefully as a Skitty, landing softly. The Geodude flexed his rocky arms in celebration of its' victory, which I was going to make sure was short lived. As soon as the ref signaled the start of the match, I took off as fast as I could towards the Geodude and landed a Quick Attack, followed by a Taunt, to ensure it couldn't raise its' defense any higher. The Geodude tried to bury me in a Rock Tomb. "Tried" is the key word there, I was moving too quickly for its' aim to keep up.

Before it could get a definite aim at me, I Leered at it and then used another Quick Attack, doing critical damage. I grinned back at Ori as she did a celebratory fist pump. "Great job, Noel! Just one more to go!" she shouted with glee.

"That was only thanks to your luck, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to K.O. my Geodude so easily." she said as she called out her last Pokémon, "Go! Nosepass!"

A large rock with a large, orange probosces appeared from the red light of the Pokéball. It resembled a human face, with an exaggerated nose.

As soon as the ref started the battle, Ori ordered me to use Taunt, and then told me to dodge and keep using Leer. I managed to dodge four of it's attacks before a large rock hit my flank. It felt horrible, and the pain was excruciating, sending waves of nausea and shades of red over me. A **boulder **had hit my hip. Ori called for a time out and ran over to me, bringing in hand a Super Potion. As soon as she sprayed it on my flank, I felt the pain go away, after the initial sting of the potion.

After Ori retreated off the field, the ref started the match again. I dodged the incoming attacks and headed around the side of the Nosepass, only for it to retreat backwards, still facing the same direction. _It's like a compass! It can't turn away from the direction it's tuned to! _The sudden realization gave me an idea, I knew how to win the match.

I kept at my attempt to flank it, each time to be rewarded by it retreating in the same manner as before. I continued to dodge the incoming barrage of rocks and push forward until it began to reach the edge of the field.

I began whipping up air currents in the arena and unleashed an unholy Razor Wind on the Nosepass. It did minimal damage, but it had done what I needed it to do.

"Nosepass is disqualified!" the ref shouted again, "The challenger wins the match!"

Ori cried out in glee as she ran onto the field and gave me a huge hug. "You did it, Noel!" she said as she held me in a warm embrace.

"Thanks, Ori." I said back, paw on her shoulder. I licked her face and yipped happily. Roxanne made her way towards us, over the rough terrain of the field made of exclusively of rocks. Ori stood up and put out her hand to shake Roxanne's. Roxanne put her hand forward and dropped a shiny object in her hand instead.

"Remember this, Ori; I'm only giving you this badge because the rules say you won. To me, you won only because of a cheap strategy. If it were up to me, you would have been disqualified as soon as your Absol started to act on its' own." She said bitterly.

"Do you give this speech to everyone who wins, or am I just special?" Ori said, "Besides, you used the same rule to beat my Bagon." taunting the Gym Leaders patience.

"I want you out of my gym." Roxanne said with cool malice.

I growled at her threateningly. I received a nasty glare from her and Ori. "I'll just take my winnings and I'll be off." Ori said.

"No, you won't. You'll not be receiving any prize money. You get that badge, and only that badge." Roxanne said, in same even tone as one might expect to here from an automated device.

"Fine, if you insist." Ori sighed as we headed towards the main entrance. "Damn bitch... Just because she works for the League, she thinks she can just bend the rules whenever she wants."

We waited at a restaurant across the street for Geoffrey and Gwen, whom had walked outside earlier to talk with us, and we agreed to wait for him to finish his challenge. The restaurant didn't allow Pokémon inside, so Ori got us a table outside, umbrella, dust and all. The dust had settled on her food when it arrived so it just sat and collected more. My Pokéfood flavor only stood to improve, so I chowed down as soon as it was sat in front of my hungry maw.

I laid down with my head resting on my paws. Ori was busy checking the news on her PokéNav, and Geoffrey had yet to come back. It had been more than forty minutes, more that double the time allowed in the match. After another few minutes, the doors of the Gym opened and Geoffrey and Gwen walked out, smiling. Gwen looked a little different, she seemed taller and her red eyes were visible.

As they walked closer to the restaurant, more changes in her appearance became evident. The horns on her head had changed from their original positions to the sides of her head, and her gown was shortened to a skirt. Both Geoffrey and she bore large grins, spreading ear to ear. They stopped before crossing the street to let a car pass. The car honked it's horn thrice times and pulled around the back of the Gym. After Geoffrey and Gwen crossed the road, Ori asked, "So how did the battle go? Not how it turned out, I can gather that much."

"It was spectacular. She blasted through Roxanne's team like they were confetti in the wind." he said, as he knelt down to lift up Gwen like a ballerina.

"Heeheehee!" Gwen laughed, striking a pose as if she were jumping gracefully through the air.

"So how does it feel to be so _exposed_ to the world, Gwen?" I laughed at her, her face growing a bright shade of red. "Breezy, I bet."

Just for an instant, I felt a wave of dread wash over me. It was accompanied by a flash of images of burning towns, harbors ripped to shreds, mountains turned to ruble, river clogged with the dead and decaying vegetation. The skies themselves were an ugly shade of brown, lightly illuminated by the glow of the burning landscape.

The world was burning.

I came to, the same instant I left. My laugh stopped as soon as I returned, and the abrupt silence startled me. Geoffrey and Ori continued on about the gym battle, and whether or not Roxanne was suffering from menstrual cramps.

Gwen gave a curious look, having noticed my sudden mood change. "What's wrong, Noel?" She asked, "Are you okay?"

"I don't know, Gwen, I honestly don't." I sighed., "But hey, you got rid of your stutter! Good for you."

"What's bothering you?" she continued to inquire, worry on her face.

"It's nothing we can do anything for right now." I replied solemnly. _The world was going to end, but I'll be damned if I let it end while Ori still breathes_. "Gwen, I know what I'm about to ask is a lot, especially since we barely know each other, but when the time comes I need to have your full support." _I'm going to need powerful allies. Gwen will be a great asset when we reach the turning point of this calamity._

"So, Ori, as group leader, or rather, dictator, where shall we go next?" Geoffrey said jokingly.

"Well, as I said before, my plan is to follow the footsteps of the league champion and make a rather round-about way around Hoenn," she said, "so next we go to Dewford." she raised her glass, "To making Brawly my bitch!" She laughed, as she drained the glass.

"I hope you know that the ferry stopped being a charity service a few months ago..." he said.

"No problem. How much do tickets cost?" she asked.

"Around 25k each, not including Pokémon tickets." Ori's jaw dropped.

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Authors end-note: Yeah, I know, cliché right? But, I like how it turned out, and I feel like I'm doing an above average depiction of the story I see playing in my head.

Special thanks go out to Bulbafinatic, for bothering to read my story. Really, it means a lot to have someone read your story and share it.

**EDIT:** Thanks for pointing out my errors.

A note on my recent hiatus:

I know it's wrong to blame problems on other people, but dammit, I'm blaming the residential drunk who lives with me. Add in the additional stress of school, I haven't found much time to get back to writing my stories.

**ANYWAYS **

Thank you for reading, I hope you're enjoying the story thus far.

"Good night, and good luck"


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